Positive objectives

Create a complete, general-purpose operating system built for and by a community. The community is comprised of not only those people who consume, but also those who produce for the good of other community members. The operating system is an integrated set of software that balances needs of both desktop and server users. Respect for these needs has created opportunities for innovation and teamwork, while being mindful of the rich architectural heritage that makes a stable, superior operating system. For instance, SELinux has been improved for better operation in desktop environments, and desktop solutions like PolicyKit have emerged to create flexibility within the confines of the UNIX-like security architecture.

Build the operating system exclusively from free and open source software. Fedora is self-hosting and self-building, and requires no non-free software to create the distribution.

Do as much of the development work as possible staying close to upstream projects. In general, we prefer to move to a newer version for updates rather than backport fixes.

Be on the leading edge of free and open source technology, by adopting and helping to develop new features and version upgrades.

Emphasize usability and a "just works" philosophy in default configurations and feature designs.

Promote rapid adoption of new releases by allowing for easy upgrades, with minimal disturbances to configuration changes.

Include a wide range of packages that fits into the various different needs of the users. This package set is limited, of course, to packages that Fedora can legally provide, and also subject to our packaging guidelines.

Establish and implement technical standards for packages, ensuring the quality and consistency of the operating system.

Produce robust time-based releases every six months using a release model that allows the development team the flexibility it needs to ensure quality, while making sure that a release does not slip indefinitely. Our schedule may shift from time to time based on participant needs, but only after consideration and approval by the community governance entities that oversee the Project.

Provide timely updates for releases, throughout the supported lifetime of a release (thirteen months).

Promote a global perspective by supporting as many languages and geographic locales as possible.

Ensure that releases will always be available for free download in binary, source packages and as installable images.

Non-objectives

Fedora is not interested in having a slow rate of change, but rather to be innovative. We do not offer a long-term release cycle because it diverts attention away from innovation. For those community members who desire a long-term release cycle, there are derived distributions that satisfy this requirement. For community members who require a business-class support model beyond community maintenance, we recommend Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Fedora is not interested in being a platform for proprietary or patent encumbered components. While we do not purposely make installation of such components more difficult, we also do not allow our schedule or processes to be driven by theirs.

Fedora is not a dumping ground for unmaintained or poorly designed software. Sheer quantity of available software is not a measurement for the quality of a distribution. We do not include free and open source software that interferes with the Project's mission of advancing free and open source software.